There will be 8 "regular" and 3 "special" competitive display categories. More than one entry is allowed per member. The winner of each category will receive a certificate and a "museum quality" fossil reproduction created by one of our very own members, Glen Kuban.

Fossils and displays that won awards in past years are ineligible for competition. Members are welcome to present these fossils in an educational, non-competitive display.

It is very important to remember that the fossils entered in the first 6 "regular" categories must all come from the same field trip and must have been collected during the calendar year "2018". There are also three special categories. We also encourage members to bring unrestricted non-competitive displays for the for the benefit of the club and the public - space permitting. Fossils collected prior to the year 2018, and then finally prepped during the year 2018, are not elegible for the first 6 display categories:

1. Best Collection - Novice (a novice is one who has been a NCFC member for 3 years or less, the novice

category can only be won once, after winning, the competitor is no longer a novice,

and the entry must contain only specimens collected in 2018 from a single trip)

2. Best Collection - 2018 Club Trip (entry must contain only specimens collected in 2018 from a single trip)

3. Best Collection - 2018 Non-Club Trip (entry must contain only specimens collected in 2018 from a single trip)

4. Best Collection - 2018 Youth (ages 13 or under - entry must contain only specimens collected in 2018 from a

single trip)

5. Best Fossil - 2018 Club Trip (entry must be a specimen collected in 2018, the fossil can be displayed alone or

displayed in a collection of any other category, and only one Best Fossil can be

entered by each member in each of the 2 best fossil categories)

6. Best Fossil - 2018 Non-Club Trip (entry must be a specimen collected in 2018, the fossil can be displayed

alone or displayed in a collection of any other category, only one Best Fossil

can be entered by each member in each of the 2 best fossil categories)

7. Best Paleo Art - Adult (age 14 or older, entry may be an artwork created in any year)

8. Best Paleo Art - Youth (age 13 or younger, entry may be an artwork created in any year)

There will be 3 "special" display categories. Items entered in these 3 categories may contain fossils collected in past years. Fossils entered in these 3 categories are not limited to those collected in 2018. The 3 "special" categories are:

1. Best Collection - Common Theme (collection may be a composite of fossils from multiple sites under a

designated theme, it may contain specimens from past years, individual

fossils collected prior to 2018 are not eligible for the best fossil categories

listed above)

2. Best Collection - Open Competition (collection of fossils from a single site, it may contain specimens from past

years, individual fossils collected prior to 2018 are not eligible for the best

fossil categories listed above)

3. Best Fossil Purchase for 2018 (a single fossil or collection of fossils that was purchased during the year 2018,

individual fossils entered in this category are not eligible for the best fossil

categories listed above, Note that this is a "just for fun" category for which there

is no prize awarded to the winner.)

Voting: Each entry is entered under a category. All displays entered will have a number. The ballot sheet has the categories and a space to write one number next to each category. Members will vote by picking and writing the number of the entry that they feel is the best in each category.

Because of the complexity of the voting and the knowledge needed to judge the entries, there is an age limit for voting. All those voting must be 10 years of age and older.

The Dots: The Best Fossil - Club Trip will have a red dot with the number on it. The Best Fossil - Non Club Trip will have a yellow dot with a number on it. A Best Fossil entry could be a single fossil within a displayed collection or it might be displayed all by itself. When a Best Fossil is displayed within a collection it probably will not have the same number as the entered collection because the Best Fossil category is a separate category. To vote for a Best Fossil one must walk around the room and look at all the fossils with a colored dot attached.